Tape worms removed from North Texas woman's brain

Published 10:43 am, Monday, September 21, 2015

Eight sacks of tape worm larvae were removed from the brain of a woman at a North Texas hospital.

Eight sacks of tape worm larvae were removed from the brain of a woman at a North Texas hospital.

Photo: Methodist Health System

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Eight sacks of tape worm larvae were removed from the brain of a woman at a North Texas hospital.

Eight sacks of tape worm larvae were removed from the brain of a woman at a North Texas hospital.

Photo: Methodist Health System

Image 3 of 4

Eight sacks of tape worm larvae were removed from the brain of a woman at a North Texas hospital.

Eight sacks of tape worm larvae were removed from the brain of a woman at a North Texas hospital.

Photo: Methodist Health System

Image 4 of 4

Eight sacks of tape worm larvae were removed from the brain of a woman at a North Texas hospital.

Eight sacks of tape worm larvae were removed from the brain of a woman at a North Texas hospital.

Photo: Methodist Health System

Tape worms removed from North Texas woman's brain

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A North Texas mother was surprised to learn that her chronic headaches were caused by an infestation of tapeworms in her brain. Luckily, doctors at the Methodist Dallas Medical Center were able to remove them.

"It shocked me," said Dr. Richard Meyrat, a neurosurgeon with Methodist Health System who performed the surgery to remove the worm larvae. "It was certainly out of the ordinary, something I had not seen in a very long time, but I'm glad we got her in time and could save her life."

The woman, 31, had reported severe headaches and blurred vision to other local hospitals, but they were baffled, and referred her to Methodist Dallas where she met Meyrat.

He ran a CT scan and found obstruction in the brain, which he first guessed was a tumor. But a MRI scan provided better clarity, and his suspicious grew that the woman suffered neurocysticercosis—tapeworm infection.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports about 1,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized for tapeworm infections each year. The CDC calls it "a tremendous economic burden," with the average cost of treatment near $37,600.

Meyrat located the tapeworms in a hollow, liquid-filled space near the base of the woman's brain, and he prepared for surgery. The woman was sedated, face-down on the operating table.

"We did an incision at the base of the skull removing part of her skull, splitting the cerebellum and right then could see the sacs [of tapeworm larvae] at the base of the brain stem," Meyrat said. "Under a microscope we carefully removed all the sacs."